(L-R) Besnik Bislimi, First Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo; Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs;
Credit: MAE
On Monday 7 July 2025, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Xavier Bettel, welcomed Kosovo's First Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European Integration, Development and Dialogue, Besnik Bislimi, for a working visit to the Grand Duchy.
As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, both ministers praised the "excellent" bilateral relations between Luxembourg and Kosovo, which are based on 26 years of close cooperation, mutual trust and shared values.
Minister Bettel reaffirmed Luxembourg's support for Kosovo's path to European Union membership and highlighted the important role of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in ensuring lasting stability in the Western Balkans.
A key outcome of the visit was the signing of a fourth Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the period 2026 to 2030, which the ministry said marked an important step in strengthening cooperation between the two countries. The agreement, signed by Ministers Bettel and Bislimi, has an allocated budget of €50 million.
This renewed partnership is expected to strengthen cooperation in economic development and the energy transition - beyond the social sectors already supported, such as health and vocational training. The programmes aim to promote employability, digitalisation and innovation, while actively supporting civil society.
Minister Bettel stressed that dialogue on the rule of law and respect for human rights must remain a central priority of this cooperation. Minister Bislimi, for his part, highlighted Luxembourg's expertise in innovation as a real asset for future projects. This expertise is expected to foster stronger public-private partnerships between both countries to boost innovation and research.
The ministry noted that Kosovo is one of Luxembourg's key cooperation partners. Since the end of the Kosovo conflict in 1999, Luxembourg initially focused its efforts on humanitarian aid and reconstruction. Since 2001, the Grand Duchy has implemented development cooperation programmes, the scope of which has gradually being expanded and strengthened.
